Gold farming, generally , is the OSRS gold custom of grinding into a game specifically for the purpose of producing in-game money or other material to be traded for real-world money. As soon as it's illegal by Runescape's rules, it is also a comparatively safe and comfortable job in a location where one's security is by no means guaranteed.

"I gold farm mainly for the raw benefits of this," a participant who goes by the handle Fhynal explained via DMs. "I don't have to go out. That may sound strange, but we live with a great deal of crime. If you would like to go out, you need to use a bus, [which raises your] propensity to be robbed."

Fhynal said he earns approximately 200,000-250,000 Venezuelan Bolivares, or roughly $US15-$US20 ($19-$26), per week. This adds up to Buy Rs gold"double, sometimes triple" the typical monthly salary in Venezuela, he said, even factoring in the intermittent week he takes to maintain a"low profile" and avoid getting trapped.

For Fhynal, it is only enough to help make ends meet for himself and his mother, as long as inflation doesn't hurl food prices to the stratosphere.

"The truth is, there are those who, if they did not play, they could not eat and would die of hunger," a former Runescape farmer who wanted to rs Room stay anonymous told me on Facebook. "I have friends who play every day and if they do not play, they do not eat that day."